A typical day plays out on steep or uneven forest terrain, measuring and marking trees against a harvest plan before cutting them down, then operating or assisting with the skidders and loaders that move cut timber and load logs for the trip to a mill. Because crews often work far from town in remote sites, stretches away from home are common, and the job holds real hazards, falling trees, heavy machinery, uneven ground, that require constant awareness. It's physically demanding work across nearly every role in the category, in all weather conditions.
Pros
No formal education required, an accessible entry point into skilled outdoor trade work
Hands-on work with heavy machinery and tools in a physically active outdoor setting
Pay can reach nearly $70k at the top of the range without needing a degree
Cons
Employment in this field is projected to shrink over the next decade (-4.7%)
Among the more hazardous jobs available, with constant risk from falling trees and heavy equipment
Remote work locations often mean long commutes or extended stints away from home
A typical day
The day starts at the landing before light with a tailgate safety meeting — today's unit, the escape routes, and the radio channels. This crew member's role shifts with the operation's needs: the morning is setting chokers on a cable yarding side, scrambling across slash to wrap steel cables around logs that a tower then flies up the hillside, hard physical work with strict positioning rules because the cables can kill. Midday brings bucking work at the landing — a chainsaw cutting logs to the lengths the mill's order calls for, each cut a value decision measured twice. The afternoon adds firewatch duty after the equipment shuts down (a legal requirement in fire season) and road work clearing culverts. The woods change daily — weather, ground, timber — and the crew's cohesion is the real safety system. Few jobs are harder; few crews are tighter; and the trade builds the kind of practical competence that transfers everywhere.
Tasks at the job
Fell, buck, or delimb trees using chainsaws or other cutting equipment.
Operate or assist with skidders, loaders, or other logging machinery to move cut timber.
Measure and mark trees for cutting according to a harvest plan.
Maintain cutting equipment and machinery in working condition.
Follow safety protocols around falling trees, heavy equipment, and uneven terrain.
Load logs onto trucks for transport to mills.
Workplace & working conditions
Work happens outdoors in forests, often on steep or uneven terrain, in remote locations and all weather conditions.
The work is physically demanding and among the more hazardous jobs available, requiring constant awareness of falling trees and heavy machinery nearby. Crews often work in remote areas with long commutes or stints away from home.
Education necessary or common
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Licenses & certifications
Chainsaw/logger safety certification (Game of Logging, state programs)
First Aid/CPR (wilderness version valued)
State logging safety cards where mandated
Courses to take
Shop class — saws, tools, and maintenance
Physical Education — the job is athletic, full stop
Biology or Forestry electives — the working environment
Geometry — log lengths, volumes, and cable geometry
First Aid/Health — remote work raises the stakes
Clubs, activities & competitions
FFA forestry events
Team sports — crew work ethic
Scouting/backpacking — backcountry competence
Firewood cutting and chainsaw work with proper adult instruction
First steps you can take now
Take a certified chainsaw safety course — the trade's entry credential and a lifelong skill
Get genuinely fit: legs, grip, and endurance
Contact logging outfits about entry positions — crews hire strong, reliable 18-year-olds and train
Talk to a logger about the work honestly, including danger, weather, and the satisfaction